At waiter school, they really should teach the kids that you have to handle single people differently from groups. When people go out to eat in a group, the food is usually not the main point. They are really at the restaurant to socialize --eating is just the occasion. But when someone is in a restaurant alone, they are there to eat. When the individual is waiting for his food or for the check, he isn't filling the time with conversation, he is just sitting there bored --sort of like waiting in line at the grocery store. The leisurely service that is appropriate for groups is just not appropriate for individuals. You should not fill their dinning experience with long waits; you should get their order as soon as they put down the menu, bring the food as soon as it is done, and bring the check as soon as they are done eating. For a group, that might seem like you were trying to rush them, but for an individual it is just courteous service.